Molly Tow

The Lions posted arguably the best season in program history last year, taking home the Ivy League championship and posting their first-ever NCAA tournament win in a 6-5 thriller over New Mexico. While a couple of key players have moved on, the Lions return a talented roster headlined by senior pitchers Joey Donino and David Speer, senior catcher Mike Fischer, and power-hitting junior outfielder/designated hitter Joey Falcone. Head coach Brett Boretti and his coaching staff have led the Light Blue to two Ivy titles and three Ivy League Championship Series apperances in eight years at Columbia, and have the Lions posed for another strong campaign in 2014.

How to navigate Light Blue sporting events, direct from Spec Sports' own Molly Tow:

Columbia (12-8, 3-3 Ivy) will face Princeton (17-4, 5-0 Ivy) in its first game back at Levien after a five-game road trip. The Lions are trying to come back from being swept last weekend, and hope that their home gym, where they boast a 7-1 record thus far in the 2010-11 season, will give them a much-needed boost. An undefeated Princeton team, fresh off an overtime win at Penn this past Tuesday, will be looking to continue their winning streak. Check here for the keys to the game and live coverage of the event starting at 6:30.more Three Keys to the Game 1. Noruwa Agho The Lions need their high-scorer back. His increased assists has been helpful and has not gone unnoticed, but it doesn't make up for scoring less than double figures in games. Last weekend shows that even when other players step up, it is not enough to win games without Agho adding his usual scoring punch. 2. Possession Princeton has threats both outside the arc and in the paint. The Light Blue will need to concentrate on keeping the ball and making each one of their possessions count in order to stay in the game. The Tigers, who have a 46.7 shooting percentage from the field for the season and are quick off transition, will capitalize on any Light Blue lapses. 3. Well-rounded defense After last weekend's defensive issues, the Lions need to come out prepared and eager to stop the ball. Princeton poses a tougher challenge than the last two games, because they don't have only skilled guard play like Brown or strong post play like Yale: both areas are strengths for the league-leading Tigers.

For the last time this year, the Columbia men's basketball team will don their jerseys and run onto the court in front of their fans. Columbia (14-13, 5-8 Ivy) will look beat Brown (11-16, 4-9 Ivy) in the final game of the season for both teams. The last time these two teams met, Brown defeated Columbia 87-79 behind a 39 point outburst from freshman Sean McGonagill. Look after the jump for a liveblog of the Lions final Ivy game of 2011.more Keys to the game 1. Stop Sean McGonagill McGonagill dominated the last matchup like no Ivy player ever should. Head coach Kyle Smith threw different looks all game, but the freshman wasn't phased. McGonagill accounted for nearly 45% of Brown's points. The Lions will be looking to keep him to half that, or maybe less, by throwing the kitchen sink at the guard. 2. Cure the hangover early Last nights double-overtime loss against Yale was both a thriller and a heart-breaker. Sloppy play in the second overtime, particularly missed finishes down low, doomed the Lions in that game. If Columbia wants to finish the season strong, the team is going to have to erase the memories from that game, along with the bumps and bruises, before tip-off against Brown. 3. Senior strength Four seniors will be playing in their final collegiate basketball games tonight. The motto says that you should "play every game like it's your last," but for these four on the Lions frontcourt, that has never been more true. Expect the Lions to dominate the boards tonight through sheer effort from Asenso Ampim, Zach Crimmins, Max Craig and Brian Grimes (even though Grimes likely won't play due to injury).

To finish off the weekend at home, the Columbia men's basketball team (14-9, 5-4 Ivy) will play Harvard (19-4, 8-1 Ivy) for its second time this season. The Lions lost by 11 in the last matchup between the two teams, and will look to redeem themselves at home tonight. Both teams are coming off wins last night---Columbia defeated Dartmouth and Harvard crushed Cornell. Check here for live coverage of the event starting 6:30 p.m.more

Columbia (12-9, 3-4 Ivy) will take on Penn (9-11, 3-3 Ivy) for the second game of its home doubleheader. Wins have been difficult to find for the Lions, who have now lost three straight, their most recent fall coming last night against Princeton, 76-46. The Quakers are coming off two overtime losses in a row this week, the first against Princeton and the second, last night against Cornell. Tonight, both teams have something to prove. Read after the jump for live coverage of the event.more 1. Rebounding Columbia has consistently been out-rebounding their opponents, whereas Penn has been much weaker on the boards. If the Lions can dominate the glass, especially on the offensive end where a low field goal percentage has been plaguing them, they won't be held to under 50 points for the second straight night. 2. Getting everyone involved The last few performances by Columbia have been fairly uneven. Either the big men score the majority of the points, or Agho and Barbour go on a tear. The Lions have shown that they cannot do just one or the other and still win, so  all of the positions on the court need to step up and contribute. 3. Don't let small leads get out of hand The Light Blue have had a recent habit of letting deficits escalate quickly. Losing by eight has turned into losing by 16 in what seems like a matter of seconds. The Quakers have a trend of tiring out in the final minutes of regulation, so the Lions will need to keep their heads in it and fight until the last buzzer sounds.

The men's basketball team had a tough weekend on its final roadtrip of the season, getting swept by Penn and Princeton. Although both games were close losses, the Lions now fall to 5-7 in Ivy play with a .500 record looking further and further away. more 1. Well, at least the guards are back Once again, the Lions went 0-2 on the road, and once again, the scoring wasn't totally there. That being said, guards Noruwa Agho and Brian Barbour look fully back to their solid selves. The pair hovered around 20 points both nights, and although it wasn't enough to seal victory on either court, it bodes well for Columbia's last doubleheader as well as for next season. 2. But … the bigs are not Losses usually cannot be pinned on one particular thing in a basketball game, but after watching game after game with struggles in the paint, it seems as though the absence of forwards Mark Cisco and John Daniels is really taking a toll on both offense and defense. Asenso Ampim was king of the boards Saturday night, but playing two bigger teams necessitates the presence of more than one Columbia big. 3. Theme of the season (?): Don't dwell on the past, look to next weekend Defensive struggles, shooting struggles, and injuries alike, this season has held its fair share of frustrations for the Light Blue. Next weekend is the last doubleheader of the year, and the Lions are lucky enough to be the hosts. In its previous matchups with Brown and Yale, Columbia suffered its other road sweep of the season. The Lions are definitely out of title contention, so they should now look to make their last two games a fun pair to watch and rewarding for their seniors.